Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has finally admitted that he’s struggling to adjust with the pace of English football, with games coming thick and fast for the Premier League leaders
Manchester City visit city rivals Manchester United later tonight for an EFL Cup fourth round tie in what is their third match inside a week, and Guardiola has conceded that the frantic pace of the latest run of games is exhausting. The Citizens have endured a massive drop in form, having failed to win a game in their last five fixtures in a run that stretches back to the end of September, and their Spanish boss has attributed a lack of recovery time to their recent winless run.
Interestingly, Guardiola had earlier suggested that there was little difference in the intensity of the Premier League as compared to other leagues in Europe. But as reported by The Sun, Guardiola said that the sheer number of games his side has played recently is starting to take its toll.
He said: “Our last few games have been tough. If you are winning a game 3-0 in the last 15 or 20 minutes you can have more control and it gets a little easier. But we were playing 10 against 11 against Barcelona, it’s physical and tough in the Champions League. After that there was the game against Southampton, when we made a mistake to go behind.”
The games do not stop coming for City as the derby against United includes a run of four games in 10 days, and Guardiola added that every game counts as he talked about the importance of the match against West Bromwich Albion this weekend.
He added: “Three days after Manchester United it is West Brom, then Barcelona and they are so important as well. I am still learning about football in this country. Even when we were winning 10 games in a row I felt we had to make a lot of effort to win those games. You cannot win any game here without spending a lot of energy.”